Independence hero and former guerrilla fighter President Xanana Gusmao today urged warring factions to end violence ripping through East Timor’s capital, while ex-soldiers whose rebellion triggered the broad mayhem offered peace talks.

AT LEAST 21,000 residents have fled East Timor’s capital Dili, a minister said, amid rumours of impending clashes among security forces, despite repeated government assurances of their safety.

Australia’s military today ended six years of peacekeeping duties in East Timor, wrapping up a mission that strained ties with Indonesia and heralded a new era of regional military intervention by Canberra.